Tater Tot Waffles

Tater Tots take me right back to my childhood. Growing up, I remember weekends when my brother and I were home with mom and tater tots were baked and served for lunch. We used to bake them off, salt them with garlic salt and use ketchup for dipping. Alone and simple, tater tots were always delicious enough to eat an entire bag in one sitting with the help of a hungry sibling. Our family to this day still loves them!

In honor of National Tater Tot Day, we tried to find a recipe that was different and delicious. We found this amazing recipe online for Tater Tot Waffles that I think you will really enjoy. This dish is a perfect offering to serve at a brunch, for a small gathering (or can be made for two). The recipe is simple and will for sure impress your family or guests. You will need a waffle iron for this recipe, and of course, I made a few changes of my own as you will see.

Tater Tot Waffle with Spicy Sausage and Feta by Justin Chapple

• Nonstick cooking spray

• 16 ounces frozen Tater Tots, thawed (you will want to cook the whole bag)

• 2 Tablespoon EVOO

• 8 ounces bulk breakfast sausage (I used 16 ounces bulk sausage)

• 1-2 Tablespoons Harissa (I used Casablanca Market-Moroccan Harissa. It can be found on our shelves at Howie’s and is delicious)

• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour (I used 3-4 Tablespoons)

• 1 ½ Cups Alexander’s Meats Housemade Chicken Broth

• Garlic Salt and Kosher Salt

• Black Pepper

• Crumbled Feta, for serving

• Chopped Parsley, for serving

I added Garlic Gold Toasted Garlic Nuggets to season breakfast sausage. This can be found at Howies by the salad dressings. This little jar of gold is pure happiness to the pallet.

Garlic Gold Nuggets are a staple in our household. We use it on everything including, garlic toast, avocado toast, butter compounds, refried beans, pasta dishes and so much more! Oh…don’t forget to add a dash or several of turmeric.

Directions

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees

• Heat waffle iron on high heat and grease with nonstick spray

• Place tots onto waffle iron, close and cook on medium high heat

• Fill any holes in waffle iron with more tots a few minutes into cooking

• Close the iron and continue cooking until browned and crisp or about 8 minutes total

• Transfer waffle to baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm

• Repeat with remaining tots

Meanwhile....

• Heat Extra Virginia Olive Oil in large skillet

• Add sausage to skillet and cook, breaking the meat up with wooden spoon until cooked through, about 5 minutes

• Season with garlic salt and pepper

• Add (Casablanca Market) Moroccan Harissa and cook, stirring, until sausage is coated about 1 minute

• Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring until evenly coated for about 2 minutes

• The flour will help tighten up the recipes liquids. This is the time when I add my secret ingredient of Garlic Gold Nuggets!

• Gradually whisk in broth and cook until thickened, 3-5 minutes; add more broth or water if recipe is too thick

Cut waffles in half, if desired, and transfer to a plate. Spoon saucy sausage mixture on top of potato waffle then sprinkle with crumbled feta and chopped parsley. Serve right away & devour!

Variations/Tips

• You can play with the size of potato waffles. Have fun with it! You can make one very large one or you can make smaller squares.

• Add a fried egg to the top of original recipe.

• Sauté diced bell pepper and add to sausage mixture, sprinkle with shredded cheddar instead of feta.

• Chop chives and smash them into Tots while cooking in waffle maker. Make a yogurt dipping sauce and serve potato waffles plain with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce for Potato Waffles

• I use thick yogurt like Lebne, but any thick yogurt will work

• Lemon Juice

• Diced Jalapeño - if you don’t like spicy, leave it out

• Diced Cucumber

Enjoy!

Chopped chives for garnish